Yacht recovery service on south coast.

[prv]

It just seems too many restrictions to give total peace of mind . Take the 3mile limit ....where is that taken from ? Your distances from your berth ? Distance from shore ? The distance from your position to the sea start base ? Who decides if you are just outside the limit?
Who or what decides whether wind /sea state is suitable for rib launch ?
Is it only during day light hours ?

The RIBs are based at Warsash, so it wouldn't make a lot of sense for them to draw a little semi-circle around a load of other ports and only provide service inside those. We regularly see them buzzing around all over the Solent and adjacent area - according to their coverage map they provide on-the-water service anywhere between Portland Bill and Selsey Bill. I think the three-mile limit is pretty flexible, they're just making the point that they won't come out into mid-Channel to get you. One of the stories on their News page has them providing a diver to a motorboat with fouled prop five miles south of the Needles.

It's 24/7/365.

Pete

 

[KellysEye]

>If I was being overly facetious I might say if you can't sail to a mooring or at least the waiting pontoon at a marina then you need to go on a dinghy course for some handling practice

If waiting pontoons are up wind, as we have had, no chance of sailing in. Then there are the absolutely no chance of sailing in marinas, we had to be towed in once to Eastbourne marina although we could sail - it has a narrow upwind canal a lagoon and a lock.

 

[RobbieW]

The RIBs are based at Warsash...

SeaStart are now based in Warsash, Stone Pier, but the RIBS are generally where their techs/agents are. The RIBs of the permanent staff are based in Portsmouth, Warsash & Lymington; in the areas where an on the water service is provided, agents are chosen by thier ability and use of a RIB. The 3 mile offshore limit is to do with the coding of the RIBs. I found thier coverage page very informative, http://www.seastart.co.uk/membership/area-of-coverage/

 

[clyst]

It seems there are a lot of happy customers and good on them .
I guess a yacht could sail to a safe area and anchor without too much problem and dinghy ashore .......a bit more difficult with a motorboat .........in the "olden days" motor boats were fitted with a "wing"engine giving you a get you home facility. Being of the old school I'm all for helping yourself to get home .

 

[prv]

I guess a yacht could sail to a safe area and anchor without too much problem and dinghy ashore

...and then what?

As jac says, even if it's something you're capable of replacing (and I'd give most things a go on my little Volvo and have plenty of tools on board), where do you find the parts on foot in an unfamiliar seaside village on a bank holiday weekend?

.......a bit more difficult with a motorboat .........in the "olden days" motor boats were fitted with a "wing"engine giving you a get you home facility. Being of the old school I'm all for helping yourself to get home

I think South Coast motorboat folks tend to regard Seastart cover as a standard thing to have, whereas it's rarer among the sailing fraternity.

Hanging out in the motorboat forum from time to time, there does seem to be an opinion that for seagoing use a single engine is not ideal, twins being much preferred for reliability. Smaller motorboats are often seen with either a dedicated auxiliary outboard of 10hp or so, or a transom bracket intended to mount the tender engine as a backup. So the spirit of self-help is alive and well even if people also opt for the convenience of Seastart where available.

Pete